Benches, School, Catholic Charity and Prayers for Iraq

Dear Parishioners: I hope you noticed the newly installed benches at the front entrance of Church. They were installed by Paul Anderson and our OLM Maintenance Staff last week. These stone benches were made possible thanks to the generous, hard work of  Don and Angela Conte of Structural Stone. Also, we thank the DiGianfilippo family and Mark Mainelli for their generous memorialization of the benches in memory of their loved ones. The benches look terrific and are a nice addition to the continuing beautification of God’s House. They look as if they were always there and last week I watched as many parishioners rushing into Mass missed them altogether. Yes, you can sit on them! They are there for that very purpose but please don’t sit there during Mass, come in and join the congregation!! This coming week we hope to begin the new landscape design of the rest of the Church and School property. This entails removing most of the hedges, removing some dying trees and planting new bushes and flowers. Kyle Alfred, who designed the landscaping at the front entrance of Church, has designed this project as well. He is working with OLM Parishioner John Pontarelli of Pro-Scape  Landscaping on this project. John generously donated his landscaping costs of the project and we are truly grateful. When it is completed we will have a new and truly beautiful physical plant surrounding both the Church and School. Included will be the installation of new Church sign as well as the installation of the refurbished sign that was blown down in the wind months ago.

The OLM Maintenance Staff are finishing up the projects in our school building. This includes removing the old carpeting from the walls, installing new flooring and ceiling tiles, installing a new camera security system and security door, and cleaning and painting the classrooms. All this is just in time for the opening of school on August 27th!  Also, all new lighting is being installed throughout the school as part of the National Grid program to promote energy efficiency. The total cost of the lights is well over $50.000 but it is totally underwritten by National Grid and costs our school nothing. Principal Fuller has been working hard these last few weeks meeting with teachers, staff and school families. He has great zeal for his new job leading our school community into the 21st Century. There are some limited openings for new students for our Pre-K Program and some in other grades. If you are interested, stop by for a visit and say “Hi” to Principal Fuller. There is Parish Tuition Assistance available for those who qualify.

I wish to offer my thanks and gratitude to the 615 OLM Parishioners who helped us go well over our 2014 Catholic Charity Appeal Goal. The CCA just finished up and this year it raised the most ever in the history of the Appeal. OLM raised just over $248,000 with over 600 OLM families supporting the Appeal. It is a great sign of your generous support for this truly important charity of our Church in Providence. I once again thank Mr. and Mrs. Kevin McDevitt and Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Zubiago for their leadership of the Catholic Charity Appeal here at OLM.

No doubt you have watched as the violence in the Middle East escalates.  The violent persecution of Christians and the tiny Yazidi community in Iraq continues with many being killed, beaten and driven from their homes. Pope Francis continues to urge world leaders to intervene with more humanitarian aid. Please pray for the persecuted in Iraq and for peace in our world. His Beatitude Louis Rafael Sako, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Iraq authored this prayer: “Lord, the plight of our country is deep and the suffering of Christians is severe and frightening. Therefore, we ask you Lord to spare our lives, and to grant us patience, and courage to continue our witness of Christian values with trust and hope. Lord, peace is the foundation of life; Grant us the peace and stability that will enable us to live with each other without fear and anxiety, and with dignity and joy. Glory be to you forever.” God Bless

Finding Happiness...the Holy Father's Top Ten Tips!

Dear Parishioners: I just read about Pope Francis’ recipe for happiness in life. He suggests slowing down, being generous and fighting for peace. In an interview published last week, the pope listed his Top 10 tips for bringing greater joy to one's life:

1. Live and let live. "Everyone should be guided by this principle,’ he said, which has a similar expression in Rome with the saying, "Move forward and let others do the same." 2. "Be giving of yourself to others." People need to be open and generous toward others, he said, because "if you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid." 3. "Proceed calmly" in life. The pope, who used to teach high school literature, used an image from an Argentine novel by Ricardo Guiraldes, in which the protagonist -- gaucho Don Segundo Sombra -- looks back on how he lived his life. "He says that in his youth he was a stream full of rocks that he carried with him; as an adult, a rushing river; and in old age, he was still moving, but slowly, like a pool" of water, the pope said. He said he likes this latter image of a pool of water -- to have "the ability to move with kindness and humility, a calmness in life." 4. "A healthy sense of leisure." The pleasures of art, music, literature and playing together with children have been lost, he said. "Consumerism has brought us anxiety" and stress, causing people to lose a "healthy culture of leisure." Their time is "swallowed up" so people can't share it with anyone. Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children; work schedules make it "complicated, but you must do it," he said. Families must also turn off the TV when they sit down to eat because, even though television is useful for keeping up with the news, having it on during mealtime "doesn't let you communicate" with each other, the pope said 5. Sundays should be holidays. Workers should have Sundays off because "Sunday is for family," he said. 6. Find innovative ways to create dignified jobs for young people. "We need to be creative with young people. If they have no opportunities they will get into drugs" and be more vulnerable to suicide, he said. "It's not enough to give them food," he said. "Dignity is given to you when you can bring food home" from one's own labor. 7. Respect and take care of nature. Environmental degradation "is one of the biggest challenges we have," he said. "I think a question that we're not asking ourselves is: 'Isn't humanity committing suicide with this indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature?'" 8. Stop being negative. "Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. That means, 'I feel so low that instead of picking myself up I have to cut others down,'" the pope said. "Letting go of negative things quickly is healthy." 9. Don't proselytize; respect others' beliefs. "We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes: 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you,' No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity. The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing," the pope said. 10. Work for peace. "We are living in a time of many wars," he said, and "the call for peace must be shouted. Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive" and dynamic, he said.

One place you can certainly find happiness is at Mass! This week we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary as we mark the Solemnity of the Assumption. There will be three Masses for this Holy Day of Obligation on August 15th. A Vigil Mass at 5PM on Thursday and two Masses, 7:30AM and 7PM on Friday. Also please join us in Church on Friday for a day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians in Iraq and Syria. We shall offer prayers for them as we turn to Our Lady of Mercy for her help, intercession and assistance. Hope to see you on the Assumption! God Bless.

Saying So Long and Praying for Our Seminarians!

Dear Parishioners: We offer our Summer Seminarian, Nick Robenhymer, a fond farewell this weekend. Nick has been with us just over ten weeks as part of his preparation for priesthood. After graduating from Providence College this past spring, he came to OLM for the summer. Now he departs to begin his priestly formation and theological studies at St. John’s Seminary in Boston. I hope you can stop by to wish Nick well after the 10:30AM Mass in Mercy Park. He was a joy to have at the parish this summer and helped in many ways. Nick provided some much needed help with our new Vacation Bible School and we learned then that he can play the Ukulele!! His help coordinating and serving Masses, visits to the sick, catechetical instruction with both individuals and parish groups were a great experience for him as well as our parish. We thank Nick for his joyful and prayerful presence at OLM. Keep him in your prayers as he enters the next stage of priestly formation at St. John’s Seminary. I am grateful to Fr. Carl Fisette, the Director of Vocations, for choosing OLM to participate in the seminarian program and assigning Nick to our parish.

Our own native-son of OLM, Seminarian Brian Morris, spent his summer serving at St. Pius Parish in Westerly and leaves today to serve two weeks at the Shrine in Lourdes, France. While there Brian is to assist pilgrims especially those who have come in need of healing and suffer from physical disabilities. I have asked Brian to pray for our parish and the intentions of all of our parishioners while he is there. Lourdes has long been a place of pilgrimage since Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858. Many come to be cured in the waters of the beautiful grotto where the Blessed Mother spoke her message to the young French farm girl. The core of the message was that God comes to tell us that he loves us, and he loves us as we are with all our successes but also with all our wounds, our weaknesses and our limitations. Let us turn to Our Lady of Lourdes and beg her intercession for our parish and for our seminarians preparing for the priesthood.

Last week I received a call from my classmate, Father James Ruggeri. He is the Pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish in the Smith Hill section of Providence. Father James is one of the finest priests of our Diocese and is commonly called the “the Saint of Smith Hill.” He is tireless servant of the poor and has established a new Catholic high school for economically disadvantaged students, runs a weekly soup kitchen and provides aid and assistance to the poor and needy of his parish. He called and asked if the good parishioners of OLM might help provide school supplies for the students of his parish as they prepare to go back to school this fall. Father James knows well the generous and supportive nature of OLM as we routinely send him financial support from our Outreach Collection. The details of the “Backpack Drive for St. Patrick’s” are in this week’s bulletin if you care to help out. In the name of Father James and the poor he so faithfully serves, I offer thanks and gratitude for your support.

Don’t forget to put Sunday, September 21st on your calendar as we look forward to another celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy. We will once again have our Annual Parish Picnic complete with all the fun and games, good food and good times we have had the last two years. So put it in your book or on the kitchen calendar now! Who knows we may even be able to see Fr. Connors not only juggle but perhaps ride his unicycle this year!!

Tomorrow, August 4th, is the Feast of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests. He is often referred to as the "Curé d' Ars". He became internationally known for his priestly and pastoral work in his parish because of the radical spiritual transformation of the community. His holiness and zeal were apparent to all who met him. He spent hours and hours hearing confessions and was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I kindly ask for your prayers for Fr. Connors and myself and also for all priests on this special feast day. God Bless.

More To Do Before Summer's End, An August Update!

Dear Parishioners: Summer is flying by! August arrives this Friday as we say good-bye to July! As August arrives we also say good-bye to our Summer Seminarian, Nick Robyenhymer, who finishes his time at OLM next weekend. His twelve weeks at OLM went quickly and now he prepares to go on to theological studies at St. John’s Major Seminary in Boston. So next weekend please be sure to say farewell to Nick. We will have a small reception for him after the 10:30AM Mass next Sunday where you can officially wish him well. Keep Nick and all our seminarians in your prayers as they discern and study for the priesthood. Pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life for as the Lord reminds us: “ The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Next weekend we will also take up the Peter’s Pence Collection at all Masses. The Peter's Pence Collection derives its name from an ancient custom. In ninth-century England. King Alfred the Great collected money, a "pence," from landowners as financial support for the Pope. Today, the Peter's Pence Collection supports the Pope's philanthropy by giving the Holy Father the means to provide emergency assistance to those in need because of natural disaster, war, oppression, and disease. I hope you can generously support this very important collection that helps aid the poorest and neediest in the world. I wish to thank you for your generous support of last week’s Missionary Co-op Collection for the Maryknoll Lay Missions. Your support of this missionary effort to proclaim the Gospel across the globe is admirable and I know that Erik Cambrier was very grateful for the warm welcome and great support he received.

As summer rolls on we continue to prepare for the coming school year. Our new Principal, Scott Fuller, has been busy getting ready for a new school year and learning “the ins and outs” of OLM School. Also, our maintenance staff continue to work on cleaning and painting the classrooms, remodeling the entry way and installing a new security system. It has been a busy time over at OLM School even though its summer! There are other maintenance projects we anticipate this summer including the redesigning of the landscaping surrounding the Church and School. It has been designed by the same landscape designer, Kyle Alfred, who did the front of the Church and should look truly as beautiful. We are grateful to OLM Parishioner John Pontarelli of Pro-Scape Landscaping for his generous donation of the work. We hope to get this project underway in the coming weeks. Sister Jeanne is now residing full-time in the Mercy Convent here at OLM. We welcome her to the neighborhood and look forward to her continued presence in our parish community. So be sure to say “Hi Neighbor” next time you see her around the parish.

Last weekend Fr. Connors, Seminarian Nick, and a small group of OLM Youth attended the Annual Steubenville East Conference held on the URI Campus. Thousands of Catholic young people from across New England gathered to pray, sing, interact and learn more about their Catholic faith. It is a life changing event for many of these young Catholics and I am so happy Fr. Connors was able to take some kids from our parish. The Steubenville East Event (named after the University of Steubenville where it first started) is held every summer with the hopes of strengthening and inspiring teens in their faith journeys to Christ and His Church.  Evangelistic in nature, these weekend conferences are both a great “introduction” to the Gospel message for new and younger teens, while offering deep and moving experiences of prayer and fellowship for those veterans who have attended in the past. This annual event continues to grow and we hope to get even more of our OLM youth to attend next summer. Have a great week! Get ready for August and enjoy the summer while its here! Don’t forget to say “Farewell” to Nick next week. God Bless.

Supporting Our Missionaries with Prayer and Charity

Dear Parishioners: We welcome Mr. Erik Cambrier to Our Lady of Mercy this weekend. Erik is here as part of the Annual Mission Co-op Program in the Diocese of Providence. The Mission Co-op Program is a time dedicated each year at every parish to learn more about the Church’s Missionary work. Each year a missionary is assigned to a parish to speak about the good works of the Church in distant missionary lands. Also, a collection is taken at all the Masses to support these important works. Erik is at OLM representing the work of Maryknoll Lay Missionaries. You may or may not be familiar with the missionary work of Maryknoll. It was officially established on June 29, 1911 as the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, now better known as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. Founded by two priests, Father James A. Walsh of Boston and Father Thomas Price of North Carolina. They saw a need for a seminary to train American priests for missionary work and so Maryknoll began in New York. Father Price made an around-the-country tour of America to gain support for the new endeavor. Before it had its first seminarian, one young man applied who felt called to mission but not priesthood. Thomas McCann became the first Maryknoll Brother in 1912.  By 1918, three young priests – Frs. James E. Walsh (not related to Fr. James A.Walsh), Francis X. Ford, and Bernard F. Meyer) were ready for the foreign missions in China, just after the first world war. Price went with them as superior to the new missions, but died the following year.   The first Maryknoll missioners went to China in 1918. The mission soon expanded to include northern China and Korea. As war or unrest made mission impossible in one area, Maryknoll went to other regions: Latin America in 1942 and Africa in 1946, just as these continents entered eras of military conflict and social upheaval.  Today there are over 475 Maryknoll Priests and Brothers serving in countries around the world, principally in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Over 10 decades, more than 2,000 men have been ordained to the missionary priesthood, and several hundred have taken oaths as Brothers. The areas in which Maryknollers serve have been affected by World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and other conflicts around the globe. Maryknollers have been imprisoned, tortured and killed. But the enthusiastic and joyful dedication of Maryknollers to their apostolic calling has never diminished as they carry the Gospel to Africa, Asia and Latin America. Like Maryknoll Priests and Brothers, Maryknoll Sisters have also served the missions for over 100 years. Founded by Mother Mary Josephine Rodgers in 1912 they now number over 500 Sisters, and serve in nearly thirty nations across the globe. The Maryknoll Lay Missioners date back to the 1930s when Dr. Harry Blaber of Brooklyn began his service in China. But they began to grow rapidly following the Second Vatican Council and the establishment of Official Lay Missioner Program at Maryknoll in 1969. Erik is part of this group and speaks to us about his experiences in the Missions. Each year we dedicate one weekend to listening to missionaries who do such good works in the name of our Church. Your prayers are needed for all missionaries who proclaim the Good News to the four corners of the earth. But also your financial support is needed as well. .These good works need financial support to be effective and so I ask you to please be generous. Any contribution you make should be made payable to OLM and sent to the Diocese to be disbursed directly to the Maryknoll Lay Missions. Again, we offer a warm welcome to Erik and also offer him our thanks for his good work as a missionary. May the good works of Maryknoll, begun over one hundred years ago, continue on in the priests, brothers, sisters and lay missioners who today continue to serve the poor, the needy and the suffering across the globe. Thank you for your support of the Missionary Co-op Collection. God Bless.

Never on a Sunday!? Keeping the Sabbath is "True Freedom"!

Dear Parishioners:

Hurricane Arthur brought lots of rain but managed to bring us some spectacular weather after he left town. I hope you had a great Fourth of July weekend and were able to enjoy the weather. Summer is the time to relax and enjoy the season. The Gospel last week spoke about resting in the Lord and Pope Francis spoke about how Sundays are no longer days of rest. He lamented the abandoning of the traditional Christian practice of not working on Sundays, suggesting that it has had a negative impact on families and friendships. Pope Francis stated that poor people need jobs to have dignity but that opening stores and other businesses on Sundays as a way to create jobs wasn’t beneficial for society. The Holy Father said the priority should be “not economic but human,” and that the stress should be on families and friendships, not commercial relationships. He stated: “Maybe it’s time to ask ourselves if working on Sundays is true freedom.”

Interestingly enough in last Sunday’s New York Times, the columnist Ross Douthat wrote an excellent column about the Hobby Lobby store chain. Douthat wrote that the 600 stores owned and operated by a devout Evangelical Protestant Family employs nearly 13,000 people. It sets its lowest full-time wage at $15 per hour and it also donates 10% of its profits to charity. Hobby Lobby is also closed on Sundays because the owners believe in honoring the Sabbath. Hobby Lobby has much been in the news lately thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court Decision regarding the Obama Administration’s Healthcare Mandate that employers pay for abortion inducing drugs used by employees. The Court ruled that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “preventive services” mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) as applied to Hobby Lobby to the extent that it would have forced them to provide insurance coverage for drugs and devices that violate their religious convictions on respect for human life. Douthat’s column raises some serious questions for those who would quickly dismiss the decision’s support for religious liberty for a small family owned business. He suggests that many have turned the idea of religious liberty upside down by maintaining it is confined only to liturgy and worship. I highly recommend you read his insightful column.

Sadly the decision has resulted in some terrible attacks in the media upon Hobby Lobby, committed Christians and also Catholics. Last week the Freedom from Religion Foundation ran a full-page ad in the New York Times decrying the decision and attacking the five Supreme Justices who made the decision for their Catholic Faith. Cardinal Dolan of New York responded to the ad in his weekly column stating: “Would they take out such an ad (and would any respectable newspaper publish it?) claiming a Jewish congressman could not freely vote on aid to Israel?; or that a Mormon judge could not rule on marriage?; or that a Baptist legislator could not clearly vote on issues of liquor or gambling?; or that a Quaker president was unable to be Commander-in-Chief?; or that an African-American justice had no objectivity on a civil rights issue? Of course not! But, in keeping with a long, shadowy, legacy of antipathy, justices who happen to be Catholics—never mind their past frequent votes hardly consonant with the public teaching of their faith—are branded and bullied by a group who only succeed in providing the latest example of a prejudice that has haunted us for centuries.” Locally the pro-abortion, atheist group called the Humanist Society of RI held a tiny protest at Hobby Lobby last Saturday. The small group attacked the company’s Christian beliefs and called for a boycott. I suggest just the opposite and urge you to go shopping at Hobby Lobby. Support them in their mission to remain faithful to their religious convictions not just at Church but also at the workplace. Of course if you go to Hobby Lobby, you cannot go on Sundays as they are closed in honor of God! God Bless.